The Hostage
by Junebugsm
Summary: Stef's reaction when she finds out that Callie had been locked in that room.


**Stef is furious when she finds out that Callie had been locked in that room.**

(Someone requested that I do a story on Stef's reaction to Callie being locked in that room in Things Unknown (201).

* * *

"I'm here to get my daughter." Stef said looking at this elderly woman standing in the doorway of a small, shabby home. All she wanted to do was get her daughter back home and into her own bed with her brothers and sister where she belonged. Her talk with the Judge had gone better than expected and within a couple of hours Elaine was with her and they were on their way to get Callie.

"This is Callie's foster mother. She has been granted custody of Callie." Elaine explained. "Could you please call her."

The woman, Helen, just stood for a moment jiggling a bunch of keys in her hand. The cop in Stef immediately sensed that something wasn't right. "Where is she?" She demanded as the older woman was taken aback.

"I'll go and get her." She said as she retreated further into the house.

A few moments later the woman returned with a very sullen, withdrawn looking Callie.

"Sweetheart!" Stef whispered as she grabbed the girl for a hug. She was disappointed in the rather weak one she received in return. She wasted no time in getting the girl into the car and driving home.

The drive wasn't long but it was silent. Stef could see in her daughter's eyes that something was wrong but she didn't want to get into it right now. She wanted to just get her baby home. She kept glancing over at Callie, looking for any signs of what had happened.

When they finally got home everyone was there waiting for her just as Stef knew they'd be. They had all missed her and were so happy when she had called to tell them that the Judge had finally granted her emergency custody of the girl.

Lena was the first to hug Callie and received a hug much like the one Stef had earlier - week and guarded. The only person who got a real, meaningful hug had been Jude and Stef knew that nothing could ever change that. Jude would always be number one in Callie's life regardless of what they were put through.

Once they had gotten her settled and insisted that she eat something, knowing that she wouldn't have eaten much over the last twenty-four hours they decided that it was time to talk to Callie.

They went to the girls room to find Callie sitting on her bed and Mariana asking a ton of questions receiving head shakes or monosyllable answers in response. This was the Callie that had come to live with them over a year ago. The Callie that had grown to love and trust others was gone and Stef felt the desire to punch any and everyone who had a hand in pushing Callie back into her shell.

"Sweetheart can we talk to you for a while?." Lena asked Callie, not really meaning it as a question.

"I'll go wait downstairs." Mariana offered but was stopped.

"No love, it's late. You get some sleep." Stef told her. "We'll take Callie to our room.

Mariana looked over at Callie knowing that the girl would feel uncomfortable. She gave her sister a small smile to convey both sympathy and strength as Callie was lead out of the room.

* * *

Once they were all settled on the double bed they just watched Callie for a few minutes. She seemed to be struggling with herself and they wished that she would just open up to them.

"We missed you yesterday." Stef said gently.

"Mom spent the whole day in the courthouse to get custody for you." Lena added to show the girl that they had fought for her.

"I knew you would." Callie said in a small voice.

This made Stef and Lena relax just a little. At least Callie knew that they were on her side and that they still cared even though she hadn't been in their care.

"Did she hurt you?" Stef asked carefully.

"No." Callie said. "She wasn't bad at all. She wasn't exactly warm but she wasn't mean."

"Thank god." Lena sighed without really meaning to causing Callie to smile.

"What are you thinking Callie?" Stef asked.

"I was scared." Callie admitted. "I knew you guys would come for me eventually. It's just that after yesterday's case, being sent away really, really scared me."

"Sweetheart." Lena hugged the girl. "I'm so sorry this happened. We promise we are going to renew our license to foster immediately and we'll find your father and get him to sign those papers.

"I know." Callie assured them with a small smile. "I never doubted that."

"There's something else." Stef stated as she observed Callie.

Callie nodded slightly. She knew she had to tell them what had happened but she knew it would cause Stef to blow up. A part of her was thrilled that Stef cared enough to be so mad but something in her still compelled her to hide the truth.

"Tell us baby." Lena encouraged, almost as though she had read Callie's mind.

Callie waited a few more minutes before she spoke. "She wasn't mean at all. She even made me cookies. It really wasn't so bad until..."

She looked up at Stef and Lena and could see questions in their eyes.

"She locked me in a room for the night. She said I was a flight risk." Callie could see the anger forming in Stef's eyes. She knew she had to finish before Stef burst.

"The windows were sealed shut but the room was okay. It's just that when I heard the lock click I felt so alone for the first time in so long and I hated it." She was crying slightly now and she looked down and saw Stef's fists clench.

"Please just let it go." She begged, looking directly at Stef. "I really just want to put the whole thing behind me and I don't want to go through a process like I had to with Liam.

"I can't just sit back and let people treat any of my babies like that." Stef argued.

"She really didn't do anything. I might have run if she hadn't done what she did." Callie said cautiously.

Stef was staring intently at Callie and she knew that Callie only said that last line justify the woman's actions. She knew that Callie hadn't really planned to leave. Ignoring this went against everything that she believed but she had to admit that it was relatively minor as compared to convinsing Callie to go forward with the Liam situation. As much as she wanted that woman punished for what she had done to her daughter, she knew that she had to choose her battles. She understood that Callie just couldn't face another battle that she might loose at the moment.

"Alright." she finally said and watched Callie audibly sigh with relief. "You know I'm not happy about this right?" She asked looking directly at her daughter.

Callie nodded. "Thanks Mom."

She gave both of them a hug before she headed to her own room.

* * *

"Stef" Lena said as she approached her wife.

"What is with this system?" Stef finally let out her anger. "A judge who won't allow a girl to have a family, a woman who rips a happy girl out of a perfectly good home to put her in a place where she's locked up like a criminal."

"She's back now Stef." Lena tried to calm her. "She's safe."

"I know but for how long?" Stef said. "What Callie said was right - until we find Robert Quinn and get him to sign those papers anything could happen. There's nothing to stop them from taking her away even after our license is renewed."

"We can't control everything Stef. We just have to keep loving her and fighting for her." Lena hugged Stef as she pulled her into bed. "We've really made a huge difference in Callie's life already - she believed that we would come for her and you didn't break that trust she had in us. You found a way to get her back Stef. That's the best that any of us can do. We'll keep fighting until she is legally a part of this family." Lena said firmly.

Stef smiled down at her wife. No one in the world could calm her down as fast as Lena. She pulled Lena closer as they both closed their eyes thinking to herself that she was the luckiest person in the world to have found Lena and her babies. Nothing mattered more than the six of them and Stef knew that what Lena said was true - they wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted - and they wanted Callie.


End file.
